LOST Season 2: Remix
by everybody-dies-sometime
Summary: Takes place shortly after 'Two For the Road' and leads up to a completely original finale reminiscent of 'Live Together, Die Alone'. Michael only killed Libby during Ben's escape. Several more original plot points to appear in later chapters.The story has been changed to be more plot driven after first couple chapters. My first story! Please give feedback so I can improve
1. A Conman's Castle

It was early in the morning. Kate had woke up awhile ago and, as usual, started her morning jog up and down the beach. She usually ran until she came to a big tree, which she would climb and get a fruit to snack on before running back down to camp. Even though doing this kept her in shape, she felt like her real reasoning for doing it was instead to think and ponder things. Exercise was a hobby of hers. Unlike most people who just sit around all day, she always had to be active, and had picked up this routine of running in the very early days of the crash. Usually, not much of the scenery changes. Some days the waves may be a little bit higher than the day before, and on rare occasions she would see a Pelican or some sort of bird walking on the beach. All in all, it was the same thing every day. Upon returning to camp today, though, she noticed something she didn't see every morning. About halfway between the camp and the water itself was a huge sandcastle, with four smaller homes surrounding it and a southern wall facing the incoming waves.

_'Who in the world could have built this...?' _She thought to herself, slowly approaching the sculpture made of sand.

She looked around toward the upper part of the beach. It was early, so naturally most of everyone were either asleep or still in their makeshift homes. She slowly walked to the castle and knelt down beside it, observing the perfectly sculpted and deeply detailed windows that had been crafted onto the wall of the structure. Whoever made this castle sure knew what they were doing. She'd never seen anything like this in all of her experience with sandcastles. Upon looking across every inch of the artwork, she realized something. It wasn't finished. A whole side of one of the mounds of sand looked sloppy and noticeably incomplete. A part of her wanted to at least _try_ and fix it up a little, it was bugging her. After a small debate with herself, she began to walk back to her shelter, deciding not to tamper with someone's obvious attempt at passing time. That changed when she heard a familiar southern voice. She froze in her tracks.

"Well howdy Freckles, what brings you to my kingdom?" He asked in a taunting tone.

She turned back around, meeting eyes with Sawyer. "What?" She asked him before the question even registered in her head.

"My sand kingdom. I saw you eye-ballin' it from down the beach." He pointed with one hand toward the water, she noticed the other hand was occupied with a bucket of sand.

He lugged the bucket up the incline and dropped it beside his feet before sitting down in the sand himself.

It was getting windy now. She carefully tied her hair in a pony tail and slowly approached the conman. "What were you doing down there?" She questioned, nodding at the water.

He looked back with a surprised expression on his face, for he had not expected her to respond to him any further, let alone join him. He hesitated for a split second, "Well, if it isn't obvious enough, I needed sand. Wet sand." He explained before throwing a big glob onto a new structure he was building. He then dug up a very small, previously unseen shovel and began patting on the sand.

She laughed a little, just now realizing what all she'd seen. "Sand castles? I'll admit, of all the things I could guess you would have for a hobby...this is what I would expect the least." She teased, still laughing.

Sawyer smirked, "Well, pardon me for being a poor man's architect." He joked, "'sides, way I see it? There ain't nothin' better to do on this god forsaken island. I mean, it's not like everyone can follow around handsome spinal surgeons." He smiled. He _was _sort of right—ping pong had gotten old days ago and a lot of people were having problems finding something interesting to do. Almost everyone had resorted to sleeping or watching the ocean.

He saw the annoyed reaction he managed to create from her and continued, "Which reminds me, what's the ol' doc been up to lately, anyway?" He continued to work on the sandcastle, ignoring her frustration.

"You ask me that as if it's my job to know." She answered back. Typical Sawyer, bringing up Jack any chance he got.

Sawyer was both good and bad at many things. He just assumed it was one of the traits that came with being a conman, and he was probably right. However, if there was one thing Sawyer was the best at, it was definitely getting under someone's skin. And boy, was he good at it.

A sarcastic and surprised expression fell on his face, "Oh, and it isn't? Musta' been off hunting polar bear that morning, 'cause I don't believe I got the memo. Here I am this whole time, thinkin' you and the doc were an item." He paused and grinned, looking at her "But...if that's not the case, I sure could use a princess for my sand castle...if your interested" He rotated his head to the right and winked, still looking at her.

Kate gave him a bad look, one of those_ i-want-to-punch-you-in-the-face_ looks, before jumping up from the sand and heading off to her shelter. Or to get water. Or to find Jack. Heck, she didn't know where she was going.

"Well, you don't have to rush off like that! Come on back, Freckles!" He pleaded in a childish tone before looking back to the sand structure he was building and making some final details. Just as he finished, he noticed Sun had stopped walking a couple feet from the castle, and was staring at his creation curiously.

Sawyer looked up to her with a smile, "Beautiful, ain't it?"

After a short, awkward pause, she quickly looked away and continued walking back to the Kwon shelter.


	2. Hurley Vs Ford

**I tried to make this chapter longer than the first one. Hopefully it can be entertaining to read without dragging on too much because that's what I'm aiming for. I'm still trying to get the hang of this haha :) Any feedback is good feedback, so please review! There were some changes to the original LOST story I had to decide in this chapter, but without giving away too much of the story, Henry Gale was set free just as normal except only one person was killed this time.**

Sun arrived back at the Kwon shelter with two bottles of water. She handed one to Jin, who was laying down under the tarp, enjoying a view of the ocean. He quickly unscrewed the lid and took a big gulp. He then began ranting about something in Korean.

Sun looked displeased, looking him in the eye and slowly grasping his arm, "No. No Korean. Speak English." She instructed. She had been trying to teach him the English language as best she could, and so far it was going pretty good.

Jin made an annoyed look, before straightening up from his slouched position, "Uh..Sawyer...what was, he doing?" he carefully asked, trying to speak proper English as best he could.

Sun smiled, "He was building a sandcastle. I don't know why." She shook her head.

He pondered this to himself for a second before turning his attention back to the ocean view. "Sun. Do...you think that, we will, be home?"

She was hunched over folding a shirt, but quickly raised up to answer Jin. "I don't know...I sure hope so though." She continued folding clothes, looking back in his direction, "Why?" She asked.

Jin paused before answering, "I, can't wait to start..uh..new life."

She raised up again, this time surprised to realize that Jin was actually referring to America as their home. She smiled, before leaning over and planting a firm kiss on his cheek. "We _will_ get home." She assured him.

Just as they were sharing a intimate moment, the loud voice of Hurley busted into the camp. They quickly rose up and peeked out of their shelter to check out all the commotion.

"Dudes!" Hurley yelled before bending over and taking deep breaths. He was all sweaty from his run back to the beach from the Jungle. "You'll never guess what I found in the jungle..."

Everyone gathered around, including Kate, Jin and Sun, Rose and Bernard, and Sayid. Claire and Charlie were off having a picnic, which explained why Rose was holding baby Aaron. Jack and Locke had been gone all day on hatch duty, along with Ana Lucia and Mr. Eko. Desmond was far down the beach drinking a bottle of MacCutcheon whiskey.

Sawyer, who had just taken a break from building his sand castle, was quick to comment, "Lemme' guess. Solar powered phone?"

"Dude. No." He quickly dismissed Sawyer's joke, "I found some checker boards!" He announced before reaching into his backpack and pulling out a box of checkers.

Sawyer's mouth dropped, "Son of a bitch. Where the hell you find these?"

"I found 'em in the hatch. I was looking for cool stuff to mess with in the storage room and these fell off of a shelf onto my head. It's like, destiny or something. Checkers are awesome dude!" He explained before dumping out the rest of the goods.

There were about seven checker boards in all, five of which were new, and the other with minimal wear-and-tear. Almost everyone quickly returned to whatever they were doing, unamused, while Sawyer snatched one of the newer checker boards for himself. "And just when I thought ping-pong was getting borin'..." He mumbled under his breath before walking away.

A couple hours passed and it was getting close to night time. Many people from the camp had gotten interested in a highly competitive checker game. Sawyer and Hurley had been playing for almost an hour now, carefully calculating each others moves and trying to outsmart the other. They had bet on themselves winning, each putting up a prize. Sawyer had offered Hurley some cooking magazines from his stash, while Hurley had opted to offer Sawyer a pack of cigarettes if he could win. The game was narrowing down to the last moves as Sawyer gained the upper hand.

"Might as well just give up now Porky, game over." Sawyer arrogantly claimed while easing away from the checker board after making a move. Sawyer had four checker pieces left and Hurley had only two. The game was fully in Sawyer's favor, as Hurley was trapped into losing with seemingly every possible move he could make.

"Dude. No. I've seen this happen before. You're never beaten until you are beaten. I can find a way out of this." Hurley explained, fully concentrated and unable to accept defeat. It was rare to see him like this—serious, that is. Usually you could always count on Hurley at least attempting to crack jokes at the most inopportune times. It was just in his nature, unlike Sawyer who often did it out of pure spite.

Sawyer crooked his head and chuckled, "Whatever you say Kongo, all I know is, I'm walkin' away with the goods tonight." He said with a huge, exaggerated smile.

Hurley never took his eyes from the checker board. He was still staring at the red and black pieces, trying to decide on which move to take. The crowd had grown a bit bigger now, attracting Kate and Charlie, who were discussing the game from the sidelines.

"Hurley doesn't have this. That bloody conman has scored once again." Charlie complained, referencing to earlier before the game started when Sawyer had claimed he wasn't ever good at checkers.

"I wouldn't count Hurley out yet. He's concentrating awfully hard." Kate said in response.

Sawyer stood up now, slowly walking around the circle, "So, who's up next? This game should be endin' soon. Any one else have something they want, something they need? I got it all, all you gotta' do is bet somethin' nice in return." He had announced, sounding somewhat like someone advertising booths at a festival of sorts. It was as if he was a professional at this.

Desmond had just walked up to the group, taking a swig of his whiskey before observing what was going on.

"Aye, what seems to be the commotion about here?" He asked, looking and sounding a little bit tipsy.

Sawyer walked over to Desmond, "What's it look like? A friendly game of checkers with my ol' pal Hugo." He grinned.

Desmond contemplated that in his head, before taking another drink of whiskey and responding, "Now Brotha, it sure doesn't seem that way. Ya don't play a friendly game to win something. And I know you don't play anything without aiming to gain something for yourself. So, what is this, really?"

Everyone was staring at the two now, waiting for Sawyer's response. They were all shocked by how cryptic and complex Desmond can sound even when drunk, and the Conman was taking more than a couple of seconds to respond. He opened his mouth, preparing something equally smart to say in return, but was interrupted by a loud thud of a piece being slammed against a checker board. Everyone looked to Hurley.

Sawyer, along with the others, stared in amazement. In one move, Hurley had somehow captured three of his opponents pieces _and_ trapped Sawyer's last checker into a lose-lose situation. The reaction of the crowd was delighted. As they began to walk away, some people laughed, some patted Sawyer on the back,but almost everyone was smiling before leaving the crowded area.

"Son of a bitch...How in the hell..." Sawyer asked himself more than anyone else in particular, still stunned by the outcome of the game.

Hurley immediately jumped up in excitement, fist pumping and screaming passionately, "I won dude! I done it! I just beat you! Yeah! Dude this is awesome." He continued to parade around the circle, shaking hands of the audience before they walked away back to their regular routine. He was definitely rubbing in his win over Sawyer as best he could. He even picked Charlie up for a huge bearhug and carried him across the sand before sitting him down a couple of steps later. After celebrating, he calmed himself down before picking up his new magazines and a pack of cigarettes. He turned to see Sawyer standing in the same spot, almost frozen in shock.

Hurley walked up to him in sympathy, "Look, dude, it's no big d-"

Sawyer interrupted him in a gruff voice, "Rematch Hugo. Tomorrow. I won't lose this time." Then proceeded to walk forward into Hurley, almost knocking him down, returning to his shelter.

As the sun came down from the sky, Hurley himself had returned to his shelter and was now relaxing, leaning peacefully against a Dharma Initiative pillow. Today had been a pretty great one for him. He had experienced a highly informational conversation with Locke about hunting, caught a fish while with Jin, and beat Sawyer at checkers in front of everyone. Heck, he had even got in some exercise in the form of jogging back from the Hatch with checker boards in hand. If only he could have experienced all of that with Libby...He still missed her. But things were getting better now. He had finally gotten a grip on his emotions, and it had made him a stronger person.

Just as he was about to doze off, thinking about the wonderful day, he heard a knock on the wood holding up the tarp over top of his bed. He clumsily jolted up, knocking over a can of grapes into the sand and almost ruining his pants.

"Woah, dude, like, don't scare me like that!" He held his chest, catching his breath.

Kate laughed, "Sorry Hurley. I didn't think you would be asleep this early." she apologized.

He caught his breath, and slowly raised up from his back to meet Kate, who had now bent down to her knees, at eye level.

"No, dude. It's okay. I'm just wore out. Had a big day." He explained to her in his normal Hurley tone.

"Yeah. Beating Sawyer at checkers must have been hard work. I've never experienced it myself, but I could only assume..." She replied, trailing off while looking toward the ground.

"Kate? Is something wrong? What's up?" He questioned worriedly.

She looked up at him with a smile, "No. Nothing. I actually came here to tell you that I saw."

Hurley's face contorted into that of a confused puppy, "Uh...Saw what?"

"You know." She replied, giggling.

Hurley still looked on confused, but eventually gave up the act. "Did you really?" He frowned.

She let out a loud laugh, "Yeah. It's okay though. No one else saw. Pretty smart of you though—to move the pieces when everyone else was focused on Sawyer and Desmond. It was a risk, and you're lucky Sawyer was too surprised and frustrated to notice that you'd cheated.

Hurley began scratching the back of his head and let out a relieved laugh, "Yeah...haha...I got lucky on that one."

"But don't worry. I won't tell, as long as you promise me you'll fix me something good out of those cook books in the hatch tomorrow."

Hurley quickly glanced at the books laying beside his bed, then back up to Kate, "Yeah. Don't worry dude. Like, trust me. Now that I have those, Chef Hurley is on the job." He announced with enthusiasm.

"That reminds me. Where has Jack been? Hatch duty?"

"Yeah. I was talking to him earlier. He and Locke have been discussing what to do about...you know..."

She responded with a nod, signifying an _oh_, without really saying it.

"Yeah. Like, yeah, he won't let himself leave the hatch until he decides how to keep all of us safe. What, with that prisoner free now and stuff..." Hurley looked down in sadness, gripping the covers in his hands. "I still can't believe he did what he did..."

A frown instantly overcame Kate's face. She eased over next to Hurley and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're strong Hurley, really. Libby was a good woman. I could have never came as far as you have if such a thing ever happened to me..."

Hurley looked up with a slight smile, encouraged, "Thanks."

She eased away from Hurley, getting ready to exit the shelter. "I guess I'll visit the hatch tomorrow and put in my two cents on the situation."

Hurley once again fell back onto his pillow. "Yeah dude. You need to help them decide what needs to be done. Jack always makes his best decisions when he's with you anyway." He explained.

She paused, a meaningful look in her eyes, before giving Hurley a meaningful nod and exiting his shelter.

Hurley reached into his pocket, pulling out his CD player. Luckily, he had found some batteries in the hatch and could once again enjoy his relaxing tunes. The loveable guy closed his eyes one last time before falling asleep, resting for the day to come.

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! As of right now, I'm going to try having the next chapter Jack and Locke heavy, probably taking place in the hatch and following their argument over what to do with the Henry Gale situation.**


	3. Survivors survive

**Authors note: I would like to think I took more time and made this a more detailed and overall better chapter, so hopefully everything paid off!** :)

Jack Shephard had recently become a very troubled man. Over the time that the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 had spent on the island, every step backward, every wrong decision, and every casualty that had transpired was immediately placed on his shoulders. Everyone, including Boone, Shannon, and now Libby... It had been his job, as the unanimously crowned leader, to protect them—but he couldn't. He just hadn't had what it takes, just as his father had always predicted. But with this new blood on his hands, it was time for a change. Jack wasn't going to let the island get the best of him. He had spent over a day now in the hatch without leaving, thinking up a way to protect the people, _his people_, from the dangers that may await them.

He slowly opened his eyes, examining the dusty white ceiling of the Swan Station above him. After a moment of getting his head together and waking himself up, he carefully rose from the bed and pulled his legs to the side, planting his socks on the shaggy carpet below. _'Did I really fall asleep in this place? _He questioned to himself. It wasn't like Jack to sleep in the Hatch. He disliked the feeling of sleeping on a clean bed while everyone else were forced to face the elements of the island, and highly preferred the caves as his place of residence. Obviously, the Swan was more equipped to do his Doctor duties in, so his makeshift office in the caves had been getting little to no use compared to what it previously had. The last thing he could remember doing in there was..._operating on Boone._ Whether it was in fact the last thing he had done in the caves or not didn't matter, because it continued to haunt him as if it happened yesterday. He slowly slid off the bed and began walking out of the room, almost tripping over his knotted up shirt lying on the floor before smelling the delicious scent of bacon and eggs, and hearing the delightful sizzling of a frying pan. Someone was making breakfast.

He entered the small hallway, looking over into the room at the other end to see Michael laying asleep in bed. He had been shot in the arm by the escaping Other, but was making a decent recovery. Holding himself up with a hand on the wall to get over his feeling of grogginess, his yell echoed down the hall, "Locke, a little early to be making breakfast, dontcha' think?" He asked in a half-asleep voice before turning the corner and seeing Kate managing the pots and pans over the bar in the kitchen.

She was surprised to both see and hear him this quickly, "Oh. Sorry, it was supposed to be done before you woke up." She explained in slight disappointment.

Jack looked on in amusement, scratching the back of his head and shaking his eyes wide open, "Wow. No, it's fine. I didn't expect to see you in here so early, let alone fixing me breakfast." He told her before walking over to the bar and placing his elbows down to hold himself up, "Is there any reason in particular why you are making me breakfast?" He said with a slight chuckle.

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, nothing. Just figured if someone needs breakfast made for him on this island right about now, it'd be you."

He looked down at the frying pan to see the bacon popping, giving off an amazing smell. _She was right, _this was something he needed. He needed someone showing that he was appreciated, even when he had let them—or, himself, down. He thought for a moment, and then placed his right hand on her left wrist, looking her straight in the eye, "Thanks, Kate. You're right. I don't know what gave you the impulse to do this for me but I really needed it, and I really appreciate it."

She returned the look, relishing in the thankfulness and appreciation she received from him, _And that is what makes it worth it_, she thought to herself. "You're welcome. You do enough as it is for me, for all of us, really. Where would we be without you, Jack? Nowhere. Think of this as my thanks to you." She thanked him, before both of them turned their head to see John Locke entering the room, stomping with a purpose.

He quickly acknowledged their presence while still walking toward the computer room, nodding at each of them, "Hello there, Kate. Jack." They both nodded back before watching him slide into the rolling chair and slowly type in the code to set back the timer. They had been so caught up in the moment and the loud sizzling of bacon that neither of them had realized the alarm sounding off in the background.

Locke slowly walked back into the main room, approaching the bar slowly, "That was on you, Kate." He pointed at her, "You told me that you had the hatch covered for this morning and to take a break—please, don't give me a reason to worry the entire time I'm away from the computer, okay? It's of the utmost importance."

Kate looked down in embarrassment, while Jack quickly gained an angry expression on his face, "Kate can handle hatch duty, okay? Don't worry about that. And no, John, the button isn't of utmost importance." He aggressively scolded Locke, walking over to the laundry room to grab a shirt, "In case you've forgotten, there is a crazed lunatic set free in the jungle right now that already shot down one of our people. But that just isn't important to _you_, is it?-

"Jack, stop." Kate interrupted, before tossing some eggs and bacon onto a plate and bringing it to a small table near the kitchen. "I'm tired of you guys always arguing. Can't you just get along? You both want what you think is right, but when two leaders don't agree, who really suffers from it?" She slid the plate over in front of the chair adjacent to her.

Locke glanced at the floor, and then back up to Jack, who was also staring at him. The two shared a war of minds for a couple of seconds before Locke looked away, opening the refrigerator to get a plate of leftover boar and begin approaching the table. Jack had grabbed a blue shirt and flung it over his body before he, too, took a seat in the chair were the breakfast plate sat. He looked at Kate and gave her a cheerful nod once more before beginning to cut up the eggs and bacon.

Locke, meanwhile, was digging into a slab of cold boar. There were moments of awkward silence, just the tearing of meat and clattering of silverware to be heard. Kate was between two men, two beasts in their own right. Did she really want to be in the middle, keeping them in check? It would definitely be prove to be a difficult job to perform.

Just as she thought this, Locke broke the silence, "Kate's right, Jack. I have my opinions. You have yours. Let's agree to disagree." He proposed sincerely.

Jack slowly stopped eating for a moment to raise a towel to his mouth and wipe some egg from his bottom lip, "I'd really love for that, John, but are you really capable of that? Someone who relies so much on faith, to listen to someone of science, like myself, for one moment," Jack paused, motioning with his right hand toward his forehead, "just, one moment to really see what's wrong and what's right for all of us?" Jack begged, getting slightly emotional now.

Locke raised back, also wiping his mouth with a towel that had been laying on the table beforehand, "You know very well that I, too, could be asking the same question of you. And I believe that scares you Jack. It scares you that, even after everything that has happened, everything single coincidence that has happened, you still can't grasp the idea of faith over science. Is that it-

"NO. That's NOT it. Listen, Locke, you don't know what it's like to have blood on your hands. But I do! Those people out there?" Jack pointed toward the direction of the hatch exit, "They don't rely on you. They rely on me. They rely on me to get them where they need to be. And that is off of this island. Now, I'm going to have to ask that you cooperate with me. For the good of everyone, will you help me?" Jack was practically screaming now, yelling at Locke from across the table. As he awaited Locke's response, he noticed that Kate had gripped his right forearm, trying to calm him down. She steadily let go.

Locke stared at Jack now, seemingly studying whether or not he should agree to help Jack or disagree completely. He glanced at Kate, who also glanced back at him for a second before both of them turned to Jack once more. Locke cleared this throat, "...Alright."

Jack looked on in disbelief, "Alright? What do you mean al-

"Alright. I agree completely. Arguing isn't getting us anywhere." Locke scooted back his chair and stood up, stretching his arms and picking up the plate of boar. He began walking over to the trash can.

Jack's mouth had dropped, and remained in that position. "That's...that's great. But...what made you change your mind?" He asked in confusion.

Locke dumped the remaining meat and bones into the trashcan and placed the plate into the sink. He then started looking for something in the cabinets of the kitchen, "You ever been on a walkabout, Jack?"

Jack made an intrigued expression, looking at Kate who returned the same look. He looked back up toward Locke while getting a bite of egg, "No. I can't say I have."

Locke looked back at him, smiling in a way, still searching the cabinets, "It's a spiritual journey. Man versus wilderness-

"I know what it is, John. I just, don't see where you're getting at."

Locke managed to find what he was looking for, a dull pocket knife. He grabbed it from under a small cup and rose it up to the light, examining it while taking quick glances over to Jack and Kate. Eventually he walked over to them, removing a small, rectangular stone from his pocket and raising it up beside the knife, "On a walkabout, you have to survive on your own. I'm a survivor, Jack. And so are you. Know what survivors do?"

Jack giggled a bit, once again looking up to John with a playful face, "I don't know. They survive?"

Locke began to scratch the knife against the stone, sharpening it's tip. "That's right, survivors...survive. And, do you know _how_ they survive? They hunt. And, Jack, that is how I see all of this. It's one big hunt."

Jack looked at Locke with confusion, but before he could speak Locke interrupted, "Ya see, everything before a hunt, everything in preparation for the hunt, increases the chance of killing an animal. And what do you call this? What is it, that we are doing right now, making critical decisions, talking to each other, _agreeing_?" He asked, still rubbing the knife against the stone, examining it carefully, before stopping quickly and looking back at the two who were watching him. "Well. We're sharpening our knives, of course." He said with a small wink before walking turning around and walking out of the kitchen. Jack and Kate heard the hatch door close shut seconds after as they contemplated in silence the true meaning behind Locke's speech.

Jack looked down, realizing he had just finished the last bite of his breakfast. He looked back up to Kate, who seemed to be deep in thought, "So...What can you make of everything he just said?"

She snapped out of her frozen state, looking up to him with an amazed expression, "I don't know. Something about knives. That's about all I understood."

Jack laughed, before sliding out of his chair and standing up, packing his plate over to the kitchen sink. He looked back at Kate, giving her a happy expression and walking back to where she sat, "Thanks again for the breakfast." He told her.

She looked back up at him before standing up from the table herself and meeting him halfway, "You're welcome. Just know, you totally owe me one sometime in the near future." She teased.

"Definitely. I'm gonna go see what's going on at the beach. Wanna come?" He asked, "Once we check out what's going on with everyone, we'll get a couple of people and have a meeting here in the hatch. Sound like a plan to you?"

She nodded obediently, "Sounds like a plan to me."

**Ooh, big scene coming up. Expect many more characters to make appearances soon! **


	4. You Got It

Jack quickly searched the kitchen for any empty bottles, while Kate was filling them up in the sink. They had a long, long day ahead of them. Michael, who had just been awoken by Jack while sleeping to recover from an almost fatal bullet wound to his right arm, was busy fixing his arm in a sling at his bedside. He was tasked with manning the Swan Station and pressing the button while the others were gone.

Michael slowly walked into the kitchen, with obvious pain in his arm. "Aye, Jack. You got anything for my arm? It's hurting like crazy." He asked the doctor, begging for some sort of relief.

Jack gave him a look, then turned around and opened a drawer to grab a bottle of pills. He threw them to Michael, who barely caught it with his left arm.

"Take two of those. If you get hot, make sure to drink at least a half bottle of water. We don't want you passing out from exhaustion. Anything besides that, you call me on this walkie," Jack slowly handed Michael the communication device "If you have any other feelings—anything different than the standard heat flash, then you may need immediate attention. I'll have my walkie with me at all times." He repeated, sticking the walkie in his right pocket.

Michael nodded in approval before walking over to the couch and laying down on it. Kate had finished filling up the last bottle of water, and it was now time to leave.

They began to take off toward the Swan exit when Jack turned one last time to Michael, "You're positive that you know the code? It's 4, 8, 15, 16-"

"Yeah, man. I know the code. Relax. I've seen you guys press that button enough during my time here. I know exactly what to do, don't worry." He assured him, a slight annoyance in his tone.

Jack gave him one more nod of approval before turning back around and joining Kate.

Meanwhile, Ana Lucia and Mr. Eko were gathering wood at the edge of the jungle, carrying it back to a spot on the beach.

Ana was pouring with sweat. She looked over to Mr. Eko and took a drink of water after laying down a medium sized log. She noticed he was carrying two logs slightly bigger than the one she had on both of his shoulders. "So. What'd you say we were doing with this wood, again?" She asked.

He slammed the logs down on the ground beside her and immediately turned around, determined to gather as many as he could before nightfall. She hurriedly put the lid on her water before storing it away in her pocket and caught up to Mr. Eko.

"Hey. Answer me!" She asked while running to catch up to the huge man.

He took notice to her this time, turning his head around while still walking to answer her, "Sorry. I did not hear you. We are doing this to build a church."

She gave him an odd look, thinking that building a church on a deserted island was everything but a good way to spend precious daylight hours. "Why is it that you want to build a church?"

He looked at her again, this time stopping in his tracks. He glanced at the ocean through the greenery behind them. "Let's just say...I am a very religious man."

She nodded, "Alright. I get that, I really do. I just don't see why building a church is necessary, given the situa-

"It IS necessary." He interrupted her, continuing back on the path to the wood.

The rest of the trip there was silent, mostly broken by Ana Lucia's hard breathing while trekking through the jungle. The two finally arrived at the area with the logs they had cut from a big tree, when they heard a jarring sound in the bushes. They quickly turned around to face the noise, Eko grabbing a huge axe which he had gotten from the hatch yesterday. He raised it up behind his head, not so much to actually use, but to scare away the predator if necessary. As they eyed down the plants, two familiar faces popped out from the leaves. Jack and Kate was nearing the camp.

Once realizing they were not in danger, Mr. Eko dropped the axe to his side. He was very protective over Ana, like an older brother in some sense. It had been like that ever since they had joined groups with the middle section passengers, and even before.

Jack bent over, pulling out a bottle of water to take a drink, "Hey. What are you guys doin' out here?"

"Eko here thought it'd be a good idea to build a church out on the beach. I figured I'd help him. What about you two?" Ana Lucia elaborated while Eko hoisted another log to his right shoulder.

Kate stepped up beside Jack and put her leg on one of the logs, resting against her knee, "We're coming to tell everyone about a meeting later. You guys think you could come?"

"A meeting for what cause?" Mr. Eko asked, curiously.

Jack looked up, nodding at Ana Lucia, "The guy. Henry Gale—Or whatever his name really is. We're going to discuss what we could do about that situation, hopefully you guys can put out some ideas. I have a couple in mind as it is..."

Ana Lucia put her hands on her hips, frustrated, "It's simple. Just like I told you, we go out and we kill the guy."

"No. It's not that simple. The guy has a gun, and apparently many more allies on his side somewhere out there. We aren't going anywhere. He killed one of us...we can't let him kill another." He explained, Ana Lucia looked down to the ground, popping her fingers, a slight tear dropping from here left eye. "And he would have killed you too, Ana. Had you not been using the bathroom, there's a good chance you wouldn't be here right now. You should feel blessed for that."

Mr. Eko looked up after pulling another log onto his other shoulder, "Blessed. And you people choose to ask why I must build a church, when the answer is nothing but in front of you."

Jack nodded, "So. You guys think you can make it? It'll be in a couple hours or so."

"Yes." Mr. Eko agreed, taking off into the jungle with the logs, "I will be there."

Kate lifted her leg off of the big log, brushing the hair out of her face, "What about you Ana, you going to be there?"

Ana Lucia lifted up a log, turning her back to the two and started to walk into the jungle, "Ah...I think I'll spend my night on the beach. Thanks anyway." She answered.

Jack and Kate shared disappointed looks before joining the line of people heading back to the beach.

Meanwhile, at the camp, Sawyer and Jin were in a heated arm wrestling match, gathering the attention of Sun, Sayid, Claire, and Charlie. Sweat fell down the forehead of both men, and the toll of the long match was settling on their shoulders, both several times weaker than the start of the match.

"You're goin' down, Squinty" Sawyer taunted, giving another huge push but failing to take down Jin's arm to the table below.

"Dude. Sawyer, no taunting, man. Focus." Hurley told him before edging his chin down to the table while sitting on his knees, watching the two men battle closely.

Sayid had said from the start that Jin would win, guaranteeing Sawyer a match with him tomorrow if he was wrong. Hurley, on the other hand, had actually favored Sawyer in the matchup and figured Jin wouldn't have the willpower to not give in that the southerner did. Charlie and Claire were more focused on teasing Aaron than the arm wrestling match. They were a little ways back from everyone else, enjoying the view from afar. Sun wasn't that into the match either, for she did not understand the true meaning of comparing strength through a silly physical game.

Sawyer once again hoisted his arm at Jin's, trying his best to take him down, "You kiddin' me? I got this. 'Soon as ol' Takeo here is wore down enough, I'll go in for the kill."

Jin remained silent, excluding the occasional grunt when withstanding Sawyer's assault.

Sayid began to laugh, "Personally I think this is getting a bit atrocious. This has been the longest arm wrestling match I have ever seen. And, believe me when I say that I have seen many, many arm wrestling matches in my time."

Sawyer looked to Sayid with a painful expression, "Oh really? I figured arm wrestlin' would be against your religion. That's just surprised the hell outta me" He said in an unnecessarily sarcastic tone, vains beginning to arise in the arms of both men.

Sayid looked at him, hunkering down to get closer to his face, "Yes. And I always pick the correct person. And I must have been correct, because you seem to not have what it takes."

Sawyer once again looked at him, even more sweat pouring down his face now, he began to get angrier.

After many loud groans and grunts, he finally slammed Jin's arm to the table harshly, immediately throwing his hands in the hair to rest and celebrate. "Well, well. Guess you was wrong after all, Alladin. I'll be seeing you at this same spot tomorrow, huh?"

Sayid shrugged, "Just as I wanted. Don't hurt your wrestling hand opening a can of beer, Sawyer."

And with that, Sayid took off, walking down the beach before awaiting Sawyer's response. Jin and Sun began to return to their shelter once Jin was done yelling Korean swear words, shaking his hurt wrist.

Hurley patted Sawyer on the back, "Good job dude. Knew you could do it."

Sawyer froze, looking at him with a confused expression. "The hell? You tryna' be pals with me, Humonga Donga?"

Hurley's smile immediatley turned into an annoyed look. He, too, began walking away, "Nope...Just trying to be nice."

Sawyer watched Hurley walk off, acknowledging the huge size of the man, before bending down to pick up his backpack and flinging it over his shoulder. Just as he cleared the hair out of his face he saw Jack and Kate arrive in camp.

They, too, had also noticed Sawyer standing out in the open alone next to a coffee table. Kate looked to Jack and whispered, "I'll handle Sawyer, Claire and Charlie. You go speak with everyone else." Jack nodded, branching off in a different direction while Kate headed toward Sawyer.

She continued walking until meeting up with the conman. "Sawyer, we're having a meeting later today. We'd really appreciate it if you showed up. It's about...you know." She looked toward the ground, then up and down the beach making sure no one had heard her.

Sawyer smiled, "Hey there, Freckles. Nice to see you, too. Oh, how have I been? Great, just fine. In fact, I was thinkin' about workin' on another sand castle later. You'd like to join? Sure you can, it's fine with me. Let's just-

"Shut up. Okay? We don't have time to play games. No time to make jokes. No time to build sand castles. You in or not?"

His happy attitude turned upside down. A serious expression appeared on his face. "Doubt it. What's in it for me?"

Kate got angry at this question, walking over to Sawyer and punching him in his shoulder, knocking the backpack to the ground, "There is no you. There is us. All of us. It pertains to everyone's safety."

Sawyer was surprised by the sudden aggression, but eventually bent down to pick up his backpack, still looking at Kate. "You had me at 'There is us', and lost me at 'All of us'." He replied, another smile appearing on his face."

She was infuriated now. "Fine. Be that way." She quickly turned around, beginning to walk off to find another person to recruit for the meeting.

On her fast stride away, his voice caught her off guard, "Wait. Freckles, hold on just a minute. What time is it? I'll be there."

After a pause, she realized what he had asked, "Uh...couple of hours. Just be at the hatch in a few..."

He shook his head, before turning away himself, walking down to the beach.

"What do you mean you can't come?" Jack asked, disappointed.

He had just heard Sayid's response to his proposition of attending the meeting. Sayid had told him that he had planned to visit Shannon's grave later, and felt it was more important than coming to the hatch.

"I told you. I'm going to spend time at Shannon's grave tonight. I hope you can understand, Jack."

Jack looked down at the sand with his hands to his hips, shaking his head rapidly. "Sayid. I understand. But, you need to be at that meeting. Your opinion is very important. Can't you pay your respects tomorrow?"

Sayid looked to the ocean, thinking about what Jack had just said. He was in the process of washing himself from the dirt and mud from his earlier exploration into the jungle. It seemed to be the only thing he could do to keep bad thoughts of Shannon out of his mind.

Jack looked up at him, squinting his eyes in the bright sunlight, "Trust me, Sayid. I understand completely. But, what do you say? Can you come?"

Sayid looked down, dropping the wet rag into the bucket. "Jack...Have you ever lost someone that you love?" He asked him, the emotion evident in his eyes.

Jack thought for a second, "No..." He looked down the beach, shaking his head, "not really, I haven't. I mean, besides my dad...-

"Then you have no clue how I feel. Over the course of my entire life, I have lost people that I care very much for. And I fear that I will lose many more in the future."

"I'm...I'm very sorry to hear that, Sayid." Jack sympathized, trying not to make eye contact by looking away into the sandy dunes of the beach.

Sayid looked over to him, "I hope you never have to feel that way. I hope you never feel the way I did." He paused, taking time to pull the hair back from his head and tie it back in a small pony tail. "And for that reason...I will be there, at the meeting. Anything that I can do to protect someone else from the same fate as me. The fate of losing someone they love."

Jack shook his head in approval, trying not to become too emotional himself, "...Thanks, Sayid. It means a lot."

Sayid turned to him, looking him straight in the eye. Jack returned the look and they both engaged in a lengthy pause. "Just promise me one thing, Jack."

"Sure. Anything."

Sayid looked over to the rest of the survivor's camp, "If we ever do see this Henry Gale imposter again. I want to kill him. Promise me you won't try and stop me."

Jack took a few steps forward, putting his hands on Sayid's shoulders, "You got it."

Kate slowly approached Charlie and Claire, who were heavily occupied by a crying Aaron.

"Oh god. Aaron, quit crying! Shew. I told you he wouldn't like playing in the sand. Now it's all over him." The mother pleaded with the baby, who was still crying loudly without any sign of letting up.

Charlie was trying to help, but to no avail, "Come on, turnip head. Quit crying. I'm sorry."

Kate carefully bent down beside them, putting her hand on Claire's shoulder, "Having baby problems?" She asked.

Claire could barely hear her over the loud irritation of Aaron's whining. She looked at Kate, then squeezed Aaron tightly against her body to drown out the sound of the now whimpering child. "Hey Kate. What is it?"

"Is there any way that you two could come to a meeting later tonight at the hatch?"

Charlie looked over to Kate, "A meeting? Bout what?" He asked curiously.

"We are going to discuss some things pertaining the...you know...escaped prisoner...Jack says that we need to figure out a way to be safe, and I agree completely." She explained.

Claire looked down, kissing Aaron on the head. The baby had quit crying by now. "I don't know...I really need to stay here and watch Aaron, and something tells me he may be a little distracting at the hatch..."

Kate smiled, "That's fine." She looked to Charlie, "What about you, Charlie?"

"Oh but of course, I'd love to come!" The rockstar replied happily, more than excited to be included in the upcoming events.

"Alright. Be at the hatch in a few hours. Okay?" She told him before steadily standing up and beginning to walk away.

Once taking a few steps, Claire called out to Kate, "Kate! I almost forgot. Is there any more peanut butter at the hatch?"

She turned around to face Claire and Charlie, laughing out loud, "Yeah. There were two jars in the last food drop." She answered, still smiling.

Claire nodded back, "Good. Thanks." She replied, looking over to Charlie, "You have to bring me back some tonight!"

Charlie shook is head, "Alright. Any preference? Crunchy or creamy? With peanuts, maybe?"

Kate took one last look at the three, admiring their simplicity and the idea of the little family they had formed before turning again and walking away.

Jack had now walked up to the Kwons, who were sitting peacefully in front of their shelter eating fresh caught fish that Jin had brought in. Both had noticed Jack walking up and greeted him with pleasant smiles.

Sun rose a peace of fish up toward Jack, "Hello. Fish?"

Jack motioned that he didn't want any with his hand, "No thanks, I ate earlier. Actually, I'm here to ask you two to attend a meeting later." He told them while kneeling down, placing one knee in the sand and balancing his forearm on the other.

Sun looked to Jin, who understood only a fraction of what Jack said, but looked back nonetheless. "A meeting? For what?"

"The escaped prisoner. I believe we need to hurry and come up with a plan to protect us all. I would really like it if you both could come." He explained, talking slowly to try and help Jin understand him better."

Sun looked over to Jin, "What do you think, Jin?"

Jin's eyebrows scrunched up, "Ah, we go, to the, meeting? Tonight?" He responded.

Sun smiled, placing her right hand on Jin's knee before looking back to Jack, "We'll be there. What time is it?"

Jack began to stand up, dusting the sand off of his knee, "Great. Be there in about three hours?" He answered, before waving and walking off toward Hurley.

Kate had already made it to Hurley's shelter. She was slowly edging herself under the hanging tarp, trying not to scare him this time in her approach.

He was busy playing a game of Backgammon by himself when he noticed the fugitive entering his home. "Hey Kate."

She smiled, "Hey Hurley," she took a seat beside him, "Watcha' up to?"

"Oh, nothin'. I'm thinking about challenging Locke to a game of backgammon later, wanna come watch?" He asked with immense enthusiasm.

She laughed, "As much as I'd love to see that, I can't. We're having a meeting at the hatch in a couple hours, and I was hoping you could make it."

He looked over to her, "Oh. Yeah. Sure, I'll definitely be there."

Her face changed into a surprised expression, '_well, that was easy' _She thought to herself, "uh...don't you wanna know what it's for?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I know what it's for."

She patted him on the shoulder, "Alright. I'll see you there."

"Yeah. I'll see ya there. Bye!"

She slowly pushed herself up using Hurley's massive body and crept out of his shelter. On her way out she almost ran into Jack, who was planning to enter Hurley's secluded cave.

"He in there?" Jack asked, more playfully that seriously.

She returned the tone, "Yeah. He was. He'll be at the meeting later."

"Alright. Good. I got Sayid, Jin, and Sun to come as well. I couldn't find Desmond. What about Sawyer and Charlie? Claire?" He asked, his voice more serious now.

"Sawyer and Charlie are coming, Claire is going to be staying here at the beach with Aaron, though." She responded.

"Alright. I'm gonna head back to the hatch and check up on Michael. What about you?" Jack asked, pulling out a bottle of water and taking a huge gulp.

She looked toward the sun, which had now gotten brighter than it was earlier. "Nah. I think I'm gonna go rest for a bit. Something tells me we have a long night ahead of us."

Jack nodded, slightly disappointed but trying not to show it, "Alright. Be at the hatch in a couple of hours, I'll probably be there the rest of the day. You know where to find me."

They both exchanged goodbyes before going there separate ways, Jack into the jungle and Kate over to her shelter on the other side of the beach. In less than three hours, all of them—Jack, Kate, Hurley, Locke, Mr. Eko, Sawyer, Jin, Sun, Charlie and Sayid would meet at the Swan Station to discuss the Henry Gale problem further.


	5. The Meeting

Jack had just gotten back to the Swan Station. Upon entering through the backdoor exit, he immediately heard the haunting beeps of the countdown timer. He quickly jogged to the dome-like room of the hatch and bent over onto the table, leaning toward the computer. The numbers had already been typed in. After a second of examining the screen, he tapped the execute key, resetting the countdown clock.

As he walked toward the kitchen, he began to scan the room for his friend, "Hey, Michael, what's with the numbers typed on the computer? You have to press exec-" He stopped mid sentence when he noticed the arch of Michael's back raising above the bar in the center of the kitchen. He was looking for something to eat, recklessly pushing dishes around and causing noise to echo throughout the hatch. "What the heck are you doing?" Jack asked in frustration.

Michael continued to push through the waves of plates and eating utensils before slowly raising up with a big, oversized oval plate in his hand. His face looked startled, "Hey. Man, I was just tryna' find a plate and figured I'd type in the numbers in case the timer started while I was searching. I'm going to make a turkey sandwich, you want one?"

Jack looked into the button room, reacting humorously to what Michael had said to hold back even further frustration as he frequently did. His head swiftly swung back to Michael, "A turkey sandwich? Really? Michael, I don't know what not pressing that button does—but whatever it is, I don't want to find out. None of us do."

Michael placed the plate on the table, hanging his head down and turning his back to Jack to open the refrigerator, "Sorry...Just, I have a lot on my mind."

Jack looked down to the floor in sympathy, almost feeling anger toward his self and how he was acting, "No. I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have been so hard on you. You're a brave man, Michael, after all that you've been through."

Michael raised the Turkey out of the refrigerator, locking eyes with Jack. His expression that of guilt. "Nah, man. It's alright, really-"

"No. No it's not." Jack interrupted, "And later tonight, once we share what you know about The Others with everyone else, we'll get Walt back."

Michael replied with nothing more than a smile, he slowly walked over to the bar once again and began grabbing bread out of a bag he had already gotten from the cabinet.

After moment's of awkward silence and watching Michael prepare a turkey sandwich, Jack began to walk toward the hallway leading to the resting quarters, "Alright. I'm gonna go take a quick nap. Keep pressing the button, the others should be here soon."

Jack looked back once halfway down the hall to see Michael heading toward the computer room with a plate of food in his hands. He turned his head back around upon entering the bedroom. He realized he had let himself get all too comfortable sleeping in a soft bed while everyone else were forced to sleep outside, but couldn't keep his thoughts straight as he fell sluggishly onto the bed. He was feeling insanely tired for some reason. Slowly, he managed to edge his eyes open and turn his head to the nightstand, grabbing the alarm clock and sitting it for two and a half hours before blacking out and falling asleep.

Almost three hours later, Jack awoke to the sound of many people talking in the living quarters of the Swan. He blinked a couple of times, trying to wake himself up. After a couple of seconds he looked to the side of the bed at the alarm clock, which had been turned off. This perplexed him as he rose from the bed, stretching his arms and yawning while pulling himself up into the hallway, walking toward the voices. He could roughly make out the rough voice of Sawyer, the wise diction of Locke, and the calm voice of Kate debating with each other. Once reaching the end of the hallway, Jack burst into the kitchen and saw everyone sitting around the table in the biggest room of the hatch. Kate, Charlie, Hurley, and Sun were all sitting in the chairs around the table. Jin was behind Sun, propping himself up on the back of her chair. Sayid and Mr. Eko were sitting beside each other in the floor near the table. Locke was pacing near the kitchen, while Sawyer was softly perched up on the corner of the nearby couch, overlooking the group.

The redneck's attention was quickly caught by the sound of Jack's boots clattering onto the hard floor of the kitchen. He turned his head to face the Doctor, "Well well. Look who finally decided to wake up."

Everyone looked toward Jack, who was opening the refrigerator to obtain a carton of Dharma Initiative milk, "Yeah. Someone decided to turn off the alarm I had set." He explained, looking at Locke almost as if to accuse him of the action.

Locke quickly returned the look, "Yeah, Jack. It was me. Figured I'd give you the little bit of extra rest that you deserve."

Jack let out a loud chuckle, "No, John. I don't need any extra rest. If I did, I would have put more itme on the alarm, but I didn't. Where is Michael?"

Sawyer nodded toward the bathroom, "Takin' a leak. Why so anxious to see Bob the Builder, Doc?"

Jack began walking to the door, "Because. You guys need to hear what he has to say about The Others." He explained. Once reaching the bathroom door, he pecked on it with his knuckle, "Michael. You almost done in there?"

Just as he completed his sentence, the door eased open and out came Michael, "Yeah. What's up?"

"Tell them what you told me, about The Others' camp."

Michael shook his head, almost like a kid getting approval to do something from an adult, "Alright. When they captured me—they took me to this—to this camp. These people, they all live in huts. They have two, maybe three men with rifle's guarding a hatch like this one. That's where they probably had Walt. We can take these people. We can save him."

The group were surprised. They began to ponder in silence what Michael had just said in his head as Locke rose his right hand to his chin, "Well. Seems like we already know what to do after all. We get some weapons from the armory and plan an attack. Pretty straight forward, dontcha' think?" He said as he turned his head slowly to Jack.

Sayid arose from his sitting position, pushing himself up with the wall behind him, "Actually, no, it isn't that simple. I recommend having someone, preferably me, watching from a far off distance in an unsuspecting location with a scoped rifle. We could use the walkie talkies for communications and have every base covered. We mustn't go into this recklessly."

Jack began to shake his head, "Before we devise an attack plan, we have to think about security of our people first. Now, I have a couple of ideas-"

He was interrupted by Charlie, who had almost spit out a mouthful of tea, "What? Bloody security? Are you saying that you anticipate some sort of attack?"

Sun let out a surprised noise, "No. We can't let them attack the camp. We couldn't defend ourselves. What would we do?"

Sawyer butted into the conversation, taking offense to Sun's comment, "I don't know about you Kyoto, but I think I'd handle myself just fine."

Suddenly everyone began to talk at once, and the thoughts of everyone in the hatch began to blend together in one huge glob of noise.

"_What about Claire? I've got to protect her and Aaron."_

"_Sun?"_

"_What if they have already thought of this? Maybe they have an attack planned out this moment."_

"_Don't worry, I have an idea."_

"_Oh yeah, Doc? What kind of ideas do ya got, 'cause I sure ain't getting' any safer out there on that beach without a gun."_

Just as the mumbling and arguing was getting louder, Mr. Eko rose from his sitting position and slammed his stick onto the floor, creating a loud thud that reduced everyone to silence. He slowly walked over to the table, getting closer to everyone and staring them all down. "Enough is enough. If we ever wish to find a solution to this problem, it is highly recommended we approach it from a calmer perspective. We must listen to each other, and function as a democracy. John, what is it that you have to say? I notice that you remain deep in thought."

Locke was staring at nothing in particular, but quickly jolted his eyes at Mr. Eko once hearing his name. "Oh, nothing much. I just figured we could use trip wires connected to bags of noisy objects to alert anyone of outsiders. Sort of how we did with Ethan."

Mr. Eko nodded, "And you, Jack? What is it that you have in mind?"

Jack stepped closer to the group as well, clearing his throat. "I think we should do mandatory sweeps around the camp. We set up a perimeter and patrol it for anything suspicious."

"Sounds like a plan, only problem is, who's goin' to play Mr. Security?" Sawyer asked, obviously delighted by the idea.

Jack looked over to Sawyer, shocked by the question, "Certainly not you. I'm sorry Sawyer, but I'm not giving you a gun unless you're in my sight."

Sawyer stood up from the corner of the couch with an angry look on his face, "Oh yeah, as if a punk like you could stop me-"

"ENOUGH!" Yelled Mr. Eko, his voice echoing in and out of every corridor in the Swan. "Who is it that you would recommend for the job, Jack?"

Jack thought for a minute, looking at each and every one of the survivors separately. Once reaching Charlie, he paused and nodded. "You up for it? We all know you can use a gun."

"What? Me? Of all people?" Charlie asked in a panicked voice, slightly confused, "I don't...I can't...shew, I'll do it. Good way to make myself useful, right?"

Jack smiled in agreement, "Right. Anyone else up for the task?" He asked, looking around once more.

The group sit in silence for seconds, awaiting someone else to step up—it _was_ a two person job.

Just as Jack was about to give in and offer Sawyer the position, a unsuspecting voice caught his ear, "I will do it." Announced the Korean man.

Sun looked back to Jin, who now gathered all eyes in the station to himself. He returned the look to her, "I must protect you, Sun."

A tear began to build up in Sun's eye as she grabbed Jin's hand, squeezing it to her chest.

Jack stepped closer to the table, feeling comfortable with how things were going, "Okay, good. Now, we just have to discuss who's going to be in the rescue squad..."

After moments of exchanging looks and silence, the southerner was the first person to speak up, "Well hell, Doc. I'm definitely up for that. You said I could have a gun if I was in your sight...right?"

Jack looked back to meet eyes with Sawyer, actually smiling, "Alright, Sawyer. Who else?"

Hurley rose his head up from the slouched position it had been for most of the conversation, "I'm coming dude."

Jack's face was immediately filled with surprise, "Uh...Hurley? You're sure?"

"Yeah, dude. You think I wouldn't do anything I can to get back at these bastards? I'm in."

Sawyer began to laugh loudly, "Really? You really wanna' go? Can you even use a gun, Curly?"

Jack looked back to Sawyer again, "Shut up. Hurley's coming with us."

Sawyer rose his hands up beside his head, turning around and walking back toward the couch, "Fine, fine. Sorry, Sheriff." He said before falling onto the couch.

"I want to go, too." Kate's voice called out to Jack, eager to find his reaction.

Jack looked to her, "Kate...I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Why isn't it? I can handle myself." She argued back, an upset look on her face now.

"She's gotta' point, Doc. Freckles ain't no priss." Sawyer hollered out from the couch, away from everyone else.

Jack looked over to the bookshelf of the hatch, thinking, before turning his head back to the group, and Kate, "Alright. You can come, too." He announced with a smile. "And later, when I find Desmond, I'll offer him to join us, and that can be it. Me, Michael, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, and Desmond."

"Wait. No one else can come with us." Michael complained, waving his arms around to show everyone his displeasure. "Another person may bog us down. We have to be quick. It can only be us."

Locke's right eyebrow rose, "I don't see how that makes sense, Michael. You're going to need all the firepower you can get."

Charlie shook his head in agreement, standing up from his chair, "Yeah. Don't you want to do all you can to rescue your son?"

Michael turned his back to everyone, walking up to the wall and resting his right hand on it, supporting his body weight, "No. That's not it. It's just...that's just how it's gotta be, okay? It's my son we're talking about here. I call the shots, I say who goes. We have enough people. It's gotta be like this."

Jack scratched his head, "Alright. If you want this, then this is how it'll be. We'll start drawing up plans sometime early tomorrow, but for right now, everyone needs to get a good nights rest. Tomorrow is going to be a tiring day for all of us, and everyone is going to need to be as alert as possible."


End file.
